Will Bavuma be able to bat on the fourth day?

South Africa need only 69 runs to win the Test Championship. Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma returned to the dressing room on the third day at Lord's with an unbroken partnership of 143 runs for the third wicket. Both were scheduled to take the field on the fourth day. However, questions arose about Bavuma's physical condition after yesterday's play.

South Africa's batting coach Ashwell Prince spoke to the media about whether Bavuma will be able to bat on the fourth day and what is the state of his physical fitness. In Prince's words, 'He has had to fight his whole career and this could be the most important moment of his career. From a Test cricket perspective, I think this is the biggest stage. I think this question should be answered at the end of the match.'

If you watched the third day's play at Lord's yesterday, you must be aware of Bavuma's injury. Bavuma injured his hamstring while batting for 6 runs two overs before the tea break. Even after receiving treatment on the field for a long time, it became clear that he was having difficulty running and scoring runs. But Bavuma ended the third day's play unbeaten on 65 off 121 balls. Markram scored a century at the other end.

Both batting is being praised in the cricket community. However, Bavuma's determination has caught everyone's attention separately. As written yesterday from a handle on social media X, 'Captain Temba Bavuma is suffering from severe pain. But he is standing like a lion with his chest raised.'

The question is, the Proteas team management could have brought Bavuma back to the dressing room despite showing a retired heart. Prince answered the question of why it was not done, 'Whether he will continue to bat or not, (if he continues) how will it affect his stroke play and how will it affect Aiden - we have to make big decisions about these.' Prince then said, 'This pair is the key, Aiden was adamant about it. Yes, if Tristan went (to the crease), we would have had Bavuma's wicket in our hands, but it would have been a new pair. They were feeling good and wanted to continue.

A lot depends on how much sleep Bavuma gets at the end of the third day's play and how much his body can recover. Prince, however, said, "Temba is a strong character. Aiden (Markram) has a lot of respect for him."

However, former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has hinted that Bavuma's sleep may be disrupted at night. The Proteas need very few runs to win the final match and their first ICC trophy in 27 years. They also have 8 wickets in hand. In this situation, it is natural to be tense in body and mind. Pietersen wrote in a post on X handle, "The victory is very close, but sleep will be with nervous tension."